The 21 Best Apple TV Shows You're Probably Not Watching

November 14, 2025

Apple TV left the Plus behind, but the streamer’s impressive roster of must-see programs remains. And if you’re only familiar with titles like Severance and Ted Lasso, let this be your wake-up call: Apple TV has many shows you should be watching.

It goes without saying that Apple TV feels like an exclusive club; the streaming service rarely promotes its content, leaving many titles to be discovered through word of mouth. I suppose this article is doing exactly that. While many of the titles in the list below have received rave reviews and a variety of awards, it’s still these types of recommendations that nudge viewers to watch these programs.

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Aside from the titles I mentioned above — and Seth Rogen’s Emmy-winning comedy The Studio, which is absolutely a must-watch — did you know Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy hosts his own Emmy-nominated travel show? That’s here. As is Jason Momoa’s groundbreaking Polynesian-led drama about the unification of the Hawaiian Islands. And why not toss in a limited series about the hunt for Abraham Lincoln’s killer while we’re at it?

The 21 shows featured below are led by top-notch talent. These dramas, comedies and thrillers are well-written and push the envelope in some way. Do you want something thought-provoking, heart-wrenching or knee-slapping? You’ve come to the right place.

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Apple TV

This five-episode documentary series shines a light on the personal and professional life of filmmaker Martin Scorsese. I was surprised by how heartfelt and engaging this series turned out to be. If you’ve ever wondered how Scorsese became the legendary director he is today, this program is for you. Aside from hearing the stories directly from the man’s mouth, the show features never-before-seen footage and interviews with folks like Robert De Niro, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mick Jagger, Steven Spielberg, Jodie Foster and Sharon Stone.

Apple TV

Seth Rogen co-created and stars in this dysfunctional comedy series about a movie studio’s attempt at staying relevant in Hollywood. Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O’Hara, Chase Sui Wonders and Bryan Cranston round out the cast. It’s the whopping list of celebrity cameos, though, that really sets this series apart from other comedies. Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Anthony Mackie and more show up in the most unexpected and hilarious ways. There’s nothing else like The Studio on TV.

Apple TV

We all know about Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Apple has turned that historical event into a conspiracy thriller that is well worth your time. Manhunt, which is based on the book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, throws us into the chase to track down John Wilkes Booth. Anthony Boyle, Tobias Menzies, Hamish Linklater, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh and Patton Oswalt star.

Apple TV

Trying follows Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall), a couple who can’t have a baby. So, they move to adopt. But the process isn’t that simple — especially when you throw their off-beat families and daily chaos into the mix. Trying is a lot of things: A romance, a comedy, a drama. Whatever you want to call it, the Apple TV Plus series is a thoroughly enjoyable watch.

Apple TV

Slow Horses is the first television series starring Gary Oldman, and that detail, in and of itself, should be enough to get you to tune in. The program is inspired by Mick Herron’s Slough House book series and follows Jackson Lamb (Oldman) and his crew of low-level spies as they face espionage challenges and criminal conspiracies in each season. Three of the show’s five seasons have a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which it absolutely deserves.

Apple TV

Taron Egerton is Dave, an arson investigator, and Jurnee Smollett is Michelle, a police detective, who team up to track down a duo of arsonists wreaking havoc on their community. Smoke is a brooding drama series inspired by true events. There’s a twisty mystery fueling this program, and it boasts a strong cast, which also includes Greg Kinnear, Anna Chlumsky, John Leguizamo, Rafe Spall and Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine.

Apple TV

In this dark comedy, Jon Hamm plays defamed hedge fund manager Andrew “Coop” Cooper, who decides to try home invasions as a means of generating income. The twist on that twist? He’s robbing his wealthy neighbors. What he doesn’t expect through all this thievery is the dark secrets he uncovers about the members of this upper-crust community.

Apple TV

Black Bird is inspired by the true story of Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton), a man who made a deal with the FBI to go undercover in a maximum-security prison to shorten his sentence. I forgot to mention, this is a place that houses the criminally insane and his mission is to make friends with Larry Hall, a suspected serial killer, so he can discover information about where the bodies are buried. That is, if he can get a confession in the first place. Paul Walter Hauser gives a career-best performance as Hall.

Apple TV

When you center a murder mystery in Florida, you have to expect things to get weird. And they do just that in Bad Monkey. It’s a quirky sort of drama that stars Vince Vaughn as Andrew Yancy, a detective-turned-restaurant inspector, who gets sucked into a murder case after fishing a severed arm out of the ocean. Bill Lawrence (of Ted Lasso, Scrubs and Shrinking fame) created the dark comedy, which is inspired by the book by Carl Hiaasen.

Apple TV

Presumed Innocent, based on the novel by Scott Turow, hails from executive producer David E. Kelley and stars Jake Gyllenhaal as smarmy lawyer Rusty Sabich. Unlike the 1987 movie starring Harrison Ford, this series delves way deeper into the multi-layered scandal that put Sabich in handcuffs. The exploration of every character, all of whom seem awful in some way, adds to a morally corrupt narrative that makes this a riveting, albeit sometimes frustrating, watch.

Source: CNET.

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